Linda Maxine Cora Doby Mackey of Chicago, Illinois, is dedicated to ensuring the future will be in the best hands possible by focusing on child advocacy, mentoring youth and building strong communities. To this end, she is passionate about using her executive and personal skills as the founder of Ross Child (Loving Daughters), an education and outreach organization she is launching with one of her two accomplished daughters, an educator.
Professionally, Ms. Doby Mackey is a master cryptographic engineer who designs and tests computer-encrypted security systems data. She won a scholarship to the European Information Technologies Certification Academy and later became certified with Google Cloud. She earned a Bachelor of Science in applied science from Robert Morris University in 2001. In addition, Ms. Doby Mackey is certified as a pharmacist by Davis College and completed coursework in nursing at Chicago State University.
An activist for social justice who believes in the historic civil rights adage of speaking truth to power, Ms. Doby Mackey exercises her passion for deep community involvement as an official federal, state, and local election coordinator and as a digital campaign strategist. She works closely with the Democratic National Committee and the Black United Fund of Illinois, Inc. She also is active with Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy organization formed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to strengthen the political voice of African Americans. Ms. Doby Mackey is an alumnus of Organizing for Action, a nonprofit organization and community organizing project that advocated for the agenda of former President Barack Obama.
As a leadership role model, Ms. Doby Mackey is often asked to speak and is spotlighted at Black History Month and Women’s History Month events. One of the critical points she shares with audiences is that obstacles like being a woman of color in the political arena for nearly two decades have not deterred her from pursuing her goals. They only have served to strengthen her.
Ms. Doby Mackey grew up in a military family and credits her parents with instilling the values of faith, service and never giving up. There was much for her to look up and aspire to. The president of the United States awarded her Vietnam War veteran father medals for heroism. Her mother was a trauma nurse responsible for countless lives, along with being responsible for raising her own family. Ms. Doby Mackey also attributes her success to mentors and educators who noticed and encouraged her potential as a youth.
Paying it forward, Ms. Doby Mackey affirms that her daughters are her most outstanding achievement. Each daughter is highly educated and accomplished in her own right, including a valedictorian, Ivy League graduate pursuing a Master of Education. Along with motherhood, Ms. Doby Mackey measures her success by the accomplishments of many other young lives she has helped cultivate. She always hopes her mentees will far exceed her own accomplishments in technology, politics, and life in general — all still works in progress.
Ms. Doby Mackey plans to write a book within five to 10 years about her life, impact and legacy. She believes recording and sharing her stories of trials, happiness, and everything that affected her and happens in society today is essential — especially for women and children. The goal: To let people know that she and others care. Ms. Doby Mackey will also emphasize in her book that life is about being willing to take a stand and getting outside your comfort zone to be effective. She has a story that she believes matters and can help people to better themselves, just as others encouraged her.